You should try contacting Frank Paladino at Indiana Purdue University (http://www.ipfw.edu/bio/about/faculty/paladino.shtml) who studies leatherback sea turtles in Costa Rica. While he may not directly study light pollution, I know that he has brought attention to light pollution's impact on leatherback and sea turtle nesting and would possibly welcome a student addressing the ever-growing lights of Tamarindo, the town nearest Las Baulas National Park near Playa Grande, the nesting beach for the dwindling Pacific Leatherbacks. He is a great guy with a lot of passion for conservation and science!
Discovery Channel sent me there in 1999 to write a "blog" (before the term was coined!) on their research. It's archived here at the Wayback Machine... some pics are gone but the stories are there. http://web.archive.org/web/19991013054742/www.discovery.com/exp/turtles/day6 .html if nothing else I bet Frank would know who might be studying light pollution. Wendee ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wendee Holtcamp, M.S. Wildlife Ecology ~ @bohemianone Freelance Writer * Photographer * Bohemian http://www.wendeeholtcamp.com http://bohemianadventures.blogspot.com ~~6-wk Online Writing Course Starts Dec 12, 2009 (signup by Dec 5)~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Im Animal Planets news blogger - http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Cora Ann Johnston Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 11:22 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Marine Light Pollution Research This is a general request for information about the ecological impacts of marine light pollution and anyone who may be conducting relevant research. After quite a bit of literature review and department searching, I have found that there is an increasing demand for research on ecological impacts of artificial night lighting (especially in shallow marine ecosystems); however, I have been unable to find anyone who has begun to address the issue. I would sincerely appreciate references to researchers or literature addressing marine light pollution. To put this in context, I am having no success finding relevant faculty to potentially advise a Ph.D. on light pollution, which has left me wondering if this emerging topic really remains essentially unaddressed. I am interested in the influence of artificial lighting on community ecology dynamics, especially regarding potential changes in recruitment, settlement, habitat choice, species interactions, and physiology (i.e. maturation), as well as the economic conflict that it could create (for example between fisheries and cruise industries). Thanks for your help and insight! Cora Ann -- "Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding in a manner that's precise, predictive and reliable - a transformation, for those lucky enough to experience it, that is empowering and emotional. We must embark on a cultural shift that places science in its rightful place...as an indispensable part of what makes life worth living." -B. Greene
